Welcome to your iGCSE Biology course. By the end, you'll have a solid grasp of the core concepts you need for exam success. With Auracle, you will build your knowledge rapidly by using active recall and spaced repetition, which are proven to be the most effective ways to learn and remember scientific facts. You'll learn more quickly than you thought possible. Let's get started!

To begin our study of biology, we need to ask a fundamental question: what makes something alive? All living things, from the smallest bacterium to the largest whale, share seven key characteristics. A good way to remember these is with the mnemonic MRS GREN.

Let's start with 'M' for Movement. For your exam, the definition is: an action by an organism or part of an organism causing a change of position or place. This can be an entire animal running, or a plant turning its leaves towards the sun.

Next is 'R' for Respiration. It's vital you don't confuse this with breathing. Respiration is the set of chemical reactions in cells that break down nutrient molecules, like glucose, to release energy for metabolism.